Charging

rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited October 2023 in Electrical Discussions
I finally got back to the ramp and out on the water in spectacular Florida weather, blue angles flying around...boat runs excellent! Probably the best since I've had it.
I seem to keep having issues with charging. I've done well in the past with just the regular marine batteries from like an auto zone.  Past 3 years have not been in the water much- did have it home a few months working on some stuff and kept it on a charger. As of late its been at the dry storage. I took it out week before last and jumped it off battery one- but I was getting 4 beeps which I never found anything on online- someone on here said that was like a voltage warning...I brought it home Friday night, on the charger over night and went early am today- you know, before it got to hot. Hit the key on bat one and the click. Tried to jump that bat and still got clicks. I flipped to bat 2, did not try with the jump box off and it fired right up...so I just ran around on the river on bat 2 which is the smaller house battery. Had lunch and restarted on two no issues- so decided to run down the river a bit- so long since it had anything close to a good run- but heard the 4 beeps a couple of times so headed home. I noticed when i was back at the ramp bat one very hot to the touch. As far as stuff left on while in storage I did leave tge vhf on..helm and battery switch were for sure off.
I'm going to pull the one battery and charge it at home and then tested. I need to understand how to see if my battery charger is working properly.  The engine was show right at 14V  but I did not have my meter. I'm thinking I bought both batteries right at 6 months ago. 

Comments

  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2023
    That's great news on finally getting back to the water. 


    The simple thing is to charge the battery or batteries that were dead and then load test.   Put them back in the boat and see if they die again with everything turned off this time.  Checking charging voltage at battery while running would also be a good idea. 


    Do you have a battery isolator?  If you don't have shore power to charge off of you have to run it long enough to charge the first battery before it's full enough to then start charging the next battery 


    Battery getting too hot is a sign of either an internal short or getting too much voltage.   


  • mattiemattie Member Posts: 1,278 ✭✭✭✭
    Hey Ras,
    maybe dig into that a bit. Wonder if the charger boiled the batt electrolyte dry. Check your batt levels.
    I still have an orig Progressive Dynamics PD2130 charger installed. A lot of sporadic issues with the PD chargers.
    I only plug in for a 24-36hrs max. Thinking of upgrading the PD. On the list
    246BR, 276BR, H310BR current
  • YYZRCYYZRC Member Posts: 5,114 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agreed with @mattie - if the charger is original, start there. 
    2008 350 EC on Georgian Bay
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I pulled the battery and put it on my home charger- which the amps never came down and both the battery and charger got really hot....so I'll take the battery back for replacement. The other battery seems to be "ok". Spec fishing will be upcoming- looking forward to getting my great grandson out on the water, spec are really good to eat for fresh water fish...
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2023
    rasbury said:
    I pulled the battery and put it on my home charger- which the amps never came down and both the battery and charger got really hot....so I'll take the battery back for replacement. The other battery seems to be "ok". Spec fishing will be upcoming- looking forward to getting my great grandson out on the water, spec are really good to eat for fresh water fish...
    We call those crappie!   Don't know how you fish for them down your way but up here it's usually spring or fall and fish for them at night with minnows.  We use submersible led lights to bring in the bait fish which attract the crappy...er specs.   Better have good batteries to hang LED lights off of your swim platform all night! Depending on the time of year and water temp we might get lucky and catch a blue cat or stripe bass coming in for the bait fish.

    And yes they are terrific fish to eat.
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Our crappie "season " when the congregate is in our "winter" just drift across the lake until you find pockets of them...
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2023
    People drift to find schools of fish in 2023 when you can use fish finders to see them 300 ft in front of you?  I don't have that fancy of a set up, I'm just happy not seeing stumps or trees on the down scan before I drop anchor. 
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well, that just takes the font out of it...we don't have any flooded/ man made reservoirs around here to worry about stumps and such...just gators lol
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Do you guys sink Christmas trees under your docks?  That's a common practice to get them to bed closer to shore.   We do have sunken forrests but those are 50 plus ft deep. 


  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I do not live on the water, never hear of that. Everything is so shallow and so much structure to fish- I have not done any fishing in years. Now at 65 I can fish for free. A fishing license is 45 bucks!
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2023
    Don't get any fish guts on that nice rinker!

    I know the rinker won't fit but have you fished any of the canals?   I love bass fishing, if I had a little jon boat and a trolling motor I'd be hitting the canals every chance I got.  



  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,410 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2023
    I used to have a hydrosport  bass boat with a 150 merc- fished a lot- you really have to keep at to know where to find them....have not really done much fishing since...I'll get my battery sorted out next week and get some gear for crappie fishin  and maybe next weekend get out there and give it a try..
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